tinyd

Thanks very much for the replies, I didn't know about either the Schatten or Art Tube preamps so that's good to know. It hadn't occurred to me to use the effects return on my amp so thanks for that @bassace. I guess I just need to figure out if a setup like this will actually work at a gig.. Thanks again

Hi there I've seen a few posts about AKG C411 pickups being used for double bass and I'm thinking of trying one and blending it with my existing pickup to see if I can get a more natural sound live. I have a question that I'm hoping someone can answer. Basically, what other gear do I need to use a C411 with a bass amp, especially if I want to blend it? I have a GK MB150 but it only has one input so I'm guessing that I'll need some kind of mixer but do I also need something to match the levels between the C411 and my existing pickup? Thanks in advance for any info.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1497038343' post='3315545'] Just heard two tribes on the radio, it's an awesome bassline. [/quote] Great bassline! Worth re-posting this I think.... http://youtu.be/IBWY8oAnnww

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1496118452' post='3308856'] I have counted with him (1-2-3-4; 1-2-3-4) and he is mostly ok with it. I think he understands them but has a bit of anti-elitism in him that makes him reject music theory. [/quote] If he thinks that being able to count up to 4 is "elitist" then I wouldn't hold out too much hope for him Joking aside, I think that he needs to really focus on this stuff - as @chris_b says, this should be treated as a show stopper.

I have a GK MB150 - it's pretty good - a bit "boxy" occasionally but I'm pretty happy with it. It also sounds really good with my Fender Jazz

I'm no sound engineer so I could be way off, but it bugs me that the kit in general these days is often mixed almost as if it's a set of separate instruments. Whereas if you listen to the great drum sounds (both recorded and live), the kit sounds like a single instrument - John Bonham always had that sound and obviously some of it is just that he was a great drummer, but there's something about how his kit was recorded and mixed that made it sound much more together IMO.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1493474956' post='3288627'] On the whole I think you've done a really good job in all aspects, but two things jumped out at me - personally I don't think the initial unaccompanied guitar riff works well as an intro because when everything else enters the change is jarring and it feels like an intro to the intro proper - I would just chop that first 10sec off completely IMHO. [/quote] I agree with this - it's a really good song and generally the playing and production are great, but that same guitar part is a bit off IMHO all through the song. But this is coming from someone who's never released anything approaching this kind of quality so please take my comments with a large pinch of salt!

I think all my reasons are ultimately caused by other band members who like the idea of being in a band, but are not interested in doing the work to play the music as well as they can. This is either laziness or an example of the [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect"]Dunning-Kruger Effect[/url] where they believe themselves to be much better musicians than they actually are.

This has to be one of the more 'niche' threads on BC Mine point away from the jack socket when full on btw...

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1493289070' post='3287145'] I used to play in (and left) a touring show which, believe it or not suffered this. After nearly four years on the road I discovered that the drummer hadn't ever listened to any of the source material. It's no wonder things wouldn't hang together right on stage. I was playing with a guy who had never heard the records we were supposed to be replicating! [/quote] I used to play in a Latin band where most of the members never listened to Latin music, which worked out about as well as you might expect. Preparing for each gig was like pulling teeth with half the band seemingly having to learn their parts from scratch each time.

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1490958317' post='3269377'] Hi Bill, and others I'm tempted by a KK myself. I too wonder why it gets pigeon-holed for salsa, as surely, it's suitable for other genres of music too? [/quote] It does have a classic sound for salsa, but it's definitely used in other genres. I remember spotting one Home Alone. John Candy's polka band uses one, so that's at least one other non-salsa example

Shine Eye Gal by Black Uhuru and The Humpty Dance by the Digital Underground both have great basslines that are just a slide between two notes.

If I was a drummer I'd rather play funk - have a go at Cold Sweat and see if that cheers him up!

I have an Intellitouch PT-10 - I use it clipped on to the bridge. It works very well with the DB plus it has a really clear display that's also handy for quick intonation checks on dark stages.

I agree with most of the above in that playing without a drummer can be a good thing, but @MoonBassAlpha's suggestion is worth considering - in a lot of Latin bands the horn players will often play hand percussion when they're not soloing. It depends though on how rhythmically competent they are - it's surprisingly hard to play clave properly, especially if there aren't any other percussion instruments.

I tried one of those out in my local music shop and I was impressed with the sound and general build quality. The electronics are decent (Fishman) as well. I just like the idea of having a tiny bass instrument that I can play on holiday/in the car/on the sofa etc. I also reckon it'll be a good backup at DB gigs.

From what I can gather, there's a lot of variation amongst bassists when it comes to string height and you also have to take into account the strings themselves. But given all that, your current height seems on the higher side of things when it comes to pizz playing. It's worth getting adjusters fitted IMO as this gives you a bit of flexibility. I think I have mine set to about 8mm for the E and 6mm for the G. It's also worth talking to the luthier about shaping the fingerboard as this could be the main cause of your tiredness - if you think about it, a couple of mm difference in height at the end of the fingerboard will translate to virtually nothing down in the lower positions. One weird thing I've found is that if I go too low I end up getting more tiredness. I think the reason for this is that I tend to overcompensate for the lower volume and end up tensing up. So in summary, as with all questions about double bass, the answer is "it depends", but it sounds like your height could come down.

I have the Big Double pickup (same as Stingraypete I think). I like it because it's feedback-proof and gives a very consistent tone. I've had a Bass Max in the past but I prefer the J-tone, it's more even and it sounds better to my ears. I also have a Revolution Solo which can sound more natural than the J-tone but it's ridiculously sensitive to placement and therefore too much hassle.

[quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1487536005' post='3240619'] Oh bu@#er... The part right at the end of the 'live' version of Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose where he reintroduces the groove is one of my favourite bits of music ever. [/quote] Agree totally, when JB calls Clyde and Bootsy back in, magic stuff!

[quote name='Ajoten' timestamp='1487231144' post='3238137'] Oo, interesting. Does that fit in a non-destructive way? I don't know anything about DB pickups, but I assume you don't need metal strings for that to work (mine has come with slappers). [/quote] As Lazarus says, there's no destructive work required (apart from maybe a little filing of the bridge slot if it's too narrow). It's a piezo pickup so It'll work with non-metal strings as well. The downside of the this pickup (like all piezos) is that it won't sounds as natural as a mic - the J Tone in particular has a slightly compressed tone. But apart from the price, I like it because it has a good, even sound and it's very feedback-proof, which makes it very easy to use at gigs. There are better-sounding systems out there, but it's expensive and time-consuming finding a setup that will give you that "my bass, only louder" sound. There's usually a decent market here at basschat for second hand pickups anyway so you should be able to sell it on if it doesn't work for you.

Not sure if it's just a mic you're looking for but if you're considering pickups as well I've got one of these http://r.ebay.com/rA6sak and it's not half bad for the money.

Lazarus - Yep, it's hard alright, plus you're "fighting the instrument" a lot at first as well. I can try and put what I described above into notation if that helps. I think I have some software somewhere...

I think that Folsom Prison Blues is pretty straightforward as you can play the roots using just open strings plus the fifth on the "second fret" of the string above e.g. open A string with the E on the D string. For Shake, Rattle and Roll you're going to need to highlight the root, third, fifth and maybe the seventh of each chord. There are lots of ways of doing this. Probably the easiest in terms of shifting etc is something like this (all notes are crotchets). C7 chord C (on A string), E (on D string), open G, A (on G string), Bb (on G string) and then back down again (that gives you 2 bars) F7 chord F (on E string), open A, C (on A string), open D, Eb (on D string) and back down again. G7 chord Same fingering as C7 chord, but a string lower (i.e. start on G on E string). If you want to simplify even more, you can just take the first half of each pattern above and change direction at that point (so for C7, you play C, E, G, E for each bar). Hope this helps - depending how you get on you can then embellish the above (or ignore it)

One thing to bear in mind is that the guitars / keys could be more bassy at higher volumes so you might need them to adjust their EQ a bit to give you more room at the bottom end. A nice 'warm' guitar sound at lower volumes can sometimes end up contributing to that nasty low-end mush in a gig setting (see the million-and-one threads about general volume for more details)...

You can definitely learn it but as you say, you need to immerse yourself in it. I learned to play a bit of Latin percussion before I even tried playing bass to Latin tunes and it made a big difference. The Salsa Guidebook by Rebecca Mauleon is a great read and it covers all the various styles and instruments.